High School Musical 2: Alternate Ending
by Ifit'sNotBaroque
Summary: What would happen if Gabriella didn't come back to Troy in High School Musical 2? What if, she decided to go for a relationship with someone who would actually treat her correctly? AKA my response to watching HSM2 as a 21 year old who has been in my fair share of relationships with guys who were like Troy.


**I haven't been into High School Musical in years, but after watching the second one after probably about 7 years, I just had to write this. My reasoning is because now, unlike in 8** **th** **grade, I have been in a few relationships, been in one in particular that the guy turned out to be completely different than I thought he was, and I believe that media should at least try to portray healthy relationships, especially for kids movies. So that is why I absolutely do not ship Troy and Gabriella: there's absolutely nothing healthy about it. It's completely unredeemable, but I did see a glimmer of what could be a healthy relationship. This is canon-compliant up until** ** _Gotta Go My Own Way_** **, though my story begins at the scene when Troy and Gabriella are talking about the baseball game. Some quotes are taken directly from the film.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't not own High School Musical, or else Troy and Gabriella would have stayed apart after the second movie. And I do not own the quotes from the movie that I've used.**

Gabriella's POV

"So, what's your point?" Troy asked me.

We were out by the basketball hoop when I had finally decided to call Troy out on how he's been acting, "It just doesn't seem like new stuff, it seems like a new Troy."

The rest of the basketball team interrupted at that moment, which I didn't mind, I didn't feel like getting into an argument with him at the moment. We hadn't ever argued before, but I also hadn't ever been open about how I'm feeling in regards to his behavior. Taylor has been telling me to break up with him, but I'm not sure that he's gotten to the point that it's necessary. Though if this behavior continues, maybe I should consider it. I walked away to find Taylor. "Hey Gabriella!" she said, driving up in the golf cart, "Hey…what's wrong?"

"Troy won't make it to the game…" I admitted, knowing I was about to get lectured about how I should 'assert my independence and ditch the jerk.'

"I'm sorry…I really am, Gabriella…" she motioned for me to join her on the cart, so I did and she hugged me, "I know I've been harsh lately, but I care about you and I really don't like the way Troy has been treating you. Have you at least considered ending it? I think you'd be a lot happier."

"I'm…I'm starting to. If this continues, it isn't even worth it. I get that his future is important, but I thought we had a future, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand."

We drove off and spotted Ryan, "Hey Ryan. No rehearsals?" I was legitimately curious as to what was going on lately, because Ryan hadn't been following his sister around like a puppy much at all this summer.

"My sister is working up something new," he replied cryptically.

"So, you coming to the baseball game?" I asked, secretly hoping he would say yes, though I really didn't know why.

"I'm not staff, I wasn't invited," he replied sadly.

"Hey, everyone's invited. Come on, hop in," I invited.

"Alright," he replied, smiling his first genuine smile that I had seen in a while.

After the baseball game, during which Ryan somehow managed to convince everyone to go on with the show even without Troy, we all hung out. It was really nice and I noticed that Ryan respects me in a way I have never seen in Troy.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ryan sat next to me and asked.

I smiled at him, sadly, "This summer isn't at all what I expected…don't get me wrong! I like my job and I'm really glad you're helping us with the show, but…"

"Troy," he finished my thought.

"Yeah…"

Ryan placed his hand on my shoulder, "I know it's not exactly the same, but I kind of get what you're feeling. Sharpay and I have always been in all our musical endeavors together…and since I've always lived in her shadow, she gets to run the show. Including whether or not I'm involved…It's not the same, I don't know why I brought it up…" he concluded, removing his hand.

I faced him and gently grabbed his hand, "No, it's similar. I don't know what it's like having a twin…or a sibling at all, but I can imagine that would be frustrating, but you're really talented, Ryan, and more importantly, you're a really good person. I'd much rather be a good person in the shadows than the star who hurts my friends and family, even if that makes me the one getting hurt."

He smiled, "Yeah, I agree. Thanks. Um, it's not really Troy's fault, though, my sister is pushing him in corners to get him what he wants, so she can get what she wants…" he said, sounding reluctant.

"No matter who's manipulating him, it was his decision every time he missed a date or broke a promise, not Sharpay's."

"Oh…"

"Let's not talk about Troy. Or Sharpay. Let's talk about…us."

"Us?" he asked.

"Yeah, us. Like, what is it that you want with your future or even your summer? What are your goals that aren't made by your sister?"

"Oh, yeah…I want to go to Julliard. I don't know if I want to focus on dance or theatre. Whenever I say I might pursue a dance career people always make assumptions, though…"

"What other people say shouldn't change your dreams, Ryan."

"Yeah, you're right. The one problem I have with Julliard, though, is that more likely than not, Sharpay would be there too and even in college I'd be living in her shadow, so part of me wants to go there, but part of me just wants to make sure we're not at the same college….sorry, we said we weren't talking about Sharpay."

"No, it's fine!" I said with a bit too much force, "I mean…it's obvious this has been on your mind for a while. Do you have anyone to talk to about this stuff?"

"I never have, no," he replied.

"My mom wants me to go to Stanford. It used to be my dream, but now I'm not so sure. I want to try something…different than what's expected of me."

"Like getting the lead role in the musical at the school you just moved to?" Ryan asked playfully.

I smiled, "Exactly like getting the lead role in the musical."

Ryan's POV

After talking to Gabriella, I couldn't stop smiling. I was glad that someone was finally seeing me as an individual and not just as Sharpay's brother. Later that day, I was working on some choreography when Sharpay walked in, "What are you all smiley about?" she demanded.

"Nothing really. I've just had a good day."

"Oh…" she sounded disappointed, "Have you seen daddy? I've been looking for him for hours."

"No, I haven't. I just got in here a few minutes ago, I was at the baseball field."

"The baseball field? You mean that place with all the dirt?"

I chuckled, "Yes, the place with all the dirt."

"Ew," and with that Sharpay left. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding with relief that she hadn't asked what I was working on.

The next day, I decided to go for a swim to clear my mind. Ever since the previous afternoon, Gabriella was constantly on my mind. I knew it was wrong, given she's with Troy, but I couldn't help but be attracted to her. When I got to the pool, I smiled when I saw Gabriella, "Wow, Wildcat!" she said, giggling.

"Too much?" I asked, inwardly pleased that I caused that sound to come from Gabriella.

"Only in daylight," she quipped.

"Yeah," I replied awkwardly.

"East High colors, very impressive," she said, keeping the conversation from moving into an awkward silence.

"Hey. Be true to your school, right?"

"Absolutely," she paused, then smiled again, "Everyone's excited about doing the show."

"Hey, I know that everyone thinks I'm Sharpay's poodle, but I really think I could…" I trailed off, allowing her interruption to come.

"Hey, if they were thinking that, they're not thinking that today," she said with such conviction, I knew I had to believe her. She smiled up at me again, "How do you do that swing step you did last night?"

I tried to keep my cool and I took her hands, "That's easy." I was electrified by her touch and secretly thrilled to be dancing with her.

"Hey," Troy walked over.

"Hey" Gabriella and I both replied, shortly.

"So, I called last night, I got hung up at the gym."

I could feel the tension rising between Troy and Gabriella; the latter seemed intent not to respond, so I took the liberty, "Hey, my dad says you're doing great with those college guys."

"Oh. Yeah," I could hear his disdain that I replied in his voice, "They're awesome!" he continued with much more enthusiasm. "Playing with them is like being in another world."

"Well you missed out on a fun night. It was a great game," Gabriella finally joined into the conversation.

"But the dessert afterwards had to be the best part," I added placing my arm around Gabriella's shoulders, "Her mom makes the best brownies—"

"—in the entire world. Yeah, I know. I've had them," he replied harshly. I removed my arm from Gabriella.

I looked back and forth between them and decided that if they wanted to have a conversation about whatever was going on I should leave, "Well, I'll see you guys later."

The next day, after I rehearsed for the show with my friends, Sharpay stomped up to me, "I said keep an eye on them, not turn them into the cast of _Grease_!" she yelled.

I grinned smugly at her, "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Do you want us to lose the Star Dazzle Award to a bunch of dishwashers?" Sharpay was seething and it took everything in me not to burst out laughing at her expression.

"Us? Well, I guess that's showbiz," I replied.

"When did you become one of them?" she asked.

"You know, I'll take that as a compliment," I replied, smiling. I hoped that if Sharpay considered me 'one of them' soon they all would too. "But you and Troy, have a good show, sis."

"Oh, we plan to."

I walked away with a smile, refusing to allow Sharpay's unjustified anger to bring me down.

Gabriella's POV

Everything seemed to be going great. My mind was growing increasingly far away from the ways Troy was hurting me. Focusing on the show was really helping. It was also nice having Ryan to talk to, because he really seemed to understand me. That is, until Taylor announced that junior staffers were no longer allowed to perform in the Midsummer's Talent Show. At that point, I realized that Sharpay was desperate to control everything. Now it wasn't just Troy that was causing issues to my summer, it was Sharpay too and I wasn't going to take it. I went into the staff room and started to cry. Sharpay was not going to ruin this summer for me. I wiped my tears and decided that enough was enough. I knew that Sharpay wasn't going to stop until I was gone and Troy clearly didn't care enough about any of us to tame Sharpay's obvious tyranny on the situation.

After I changed into my own clothes, I went outside to find Sharpay, "Sharpay!" She turned towards me. "Forget about the rest of us, how about the fact that your brother has worked extremely hard on this show?" I said because, as hurt as I was about Sharpay hurting my friends that she has no relationship with, it didn't compare to how furious I was about her blatant disregard of her brother's feelings.

"Oh, boo-hoo. He'll be in the show. He'll do his celebrity impersonations. And don't lecture me about Ryan, given the way you've been interfering with Troy's future," Sharpay replied, accusingly.

"What?" It took everything in me not to start yelling at her.

"You've gotten him written up by Fulton for sneaking on the golf course, swimming after hours. I had to step in just to save Troy's job," she said with a rising voice. The urge to yell was becoming stronger. I couldn't believe she was accusing me of interfering with Troy's future when she was playing with his future to get her way.

"I'm not interested in what you think you're doing for Troy. That's between you and him.

But you're messing with my friends, my summer, and that's not okay with me," I said, my anger was now clear in my voice. I was infuriated that Sharpay was so delusional that she actually believed the things she was saying.

"You don't like the fact that I won."

"What's the prize? Troy? The Star Dazzle Award? You have to go through all of this just to get either one? No thanks, Sharpay. You're very good at a game that I don't want to play, so I'm done here. But you better step away from the mirror long enough to check the damage that will always be right behind you."

At that moment, Troy walked over to me, "Hey. What do you mean you're done here?" he asked in shock, "I mean, you can't quit."

"Us working together sounded good, but plans change and people change. The club talent show is a big deal for Sharpay, and evidently for your future, so it's cool. Just make it happen. Wear your new Italian shoes," I said, I let the hurt and betrayal that I felt be evident in my voice.

"Hey, I'm still me!" he said earnestly.

"Blowing off your friends, missing dates? If that's you, it's good to know," I replied pointedly.

"No, no, no, no, no," he said, "I was only doing that because I'm working on the scholarship thing. You know that."

"But if along the way you act like someone you're not, pretty soon that's who you become," I told him honestly.

"I meant what I said about movies and summer and just being together—" he said, but I was done listening to his excuses.

"I'm sure you did, at the time. But I also meant what I said, that I want to remember this summer. But not like this, Troy," I turned away from him and wiped a tear from my cheek, "You need to listen to what I have to say about this, Troy, because you haven't been."

"Okay, I'm listening…" he replied, his tone somewhere between desperation and impatience.

"This doesn't feel right anymore, Troy. Every time we try to take our relationship forward, something happens that causes pain and misunderstandings. I just can't keep doing this. I need to do what's best for me and this," I gestured between us, "isn't it. I constantly get my hopes up of being with you and it's never anywhere near as good as we hoped. I'm not trying to run away from my problems, but seeing this mess you've gotten into hurts me and I need to have some space. I'm sorry I'm hurting you, Troy, but we're over. I can't do this anymore."

"What about us? What about everything we've been through? We overcame the prejudice of East High! We can't just leave that all behind, Gabriella."

"What about trust, Troy? I don't know who you are. I thought I did, but I don't and I don't trust you anymore. And this isn't even the first time this has happened, Troy. This is just like January. You let the opinions and actions of others get in the way of how you treat me. That's not fair to me."

"You know I never wanted to hurt you. I love you, Gabriella."

"Well, you did. You really hurt me. You hurt a lot of people."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"It's too late, Troy. There's nothing you can do to change my mind. I know that sounds harsh, but I'm done chasing after some fairytale," I reached behind my neck to take off the necklace he gave me and handed it back to him.

"I'll miss you."

"Goodbye, Troy," I walked away from him, wiping tears from my eyes. I got into my mom's minivan and pulled out my phone and texted Taylor: _I'm sorry I can't take working with Troy anymore. I broke up with him, for good this time and I can't have him constantly trying to get back to me. I quit today._

"Are you okay, Gabby?" my mom asked.

"I broke up with Troy…" I said quietly.

"I'm sorry he was being so rude, but you will find someone better, honey, I know it."

"Thanks mom," I sighed, then felt the vibrate of my phone: _I totally understand, girl. I'm sorry he's being so hurtful, but I'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself. I'll be over after work with popcorn?_

I smiled: _Sounds good; thanks Tay!_

About an hour later, Taylor came into my room with a bowl of popcorn, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Honestly? A little sad, but very free," I replied, taking a handful of popcorn.

"Free?" Taylor questioned.

"Free," I repeated, "Free from a lot of stress and pain, free to make decisions about my life and not be held back by waiting around for Troy to stop being a jerk."

Taylor grabbed my hand, "I'm really proud of you. Do you need to talk about it?"

I smiled, "Do you want to hear what I said?"

"Yes!" she replied, clapping her hands enthusiastically.

"Well, I told him that I was done with him allowing other people's opinions to affect how he treats me. I told him the ways he's hurt me isn't worth it anymore and that our relationship isn't what's best for me."

"Wow, I am so proud of you, Gabriella!"

I giggled, "Thanks Taylor. And thank you so much for all your support this summer. Through all of Troy's rude behavior, you were always right beside me supporting me and I really appreciate it."

"Of course, that's what friends are for. And if you ever have days that you feel hopeless, I'm here. I want to be supportive to you no matter what you're feeling, unlike last year."

"Taylor, please stop beating yourself up over that. I forgive you. You're my best friend. I'm really glad you're here for me through all this. And thank you for being willing to understand that this will likely be a process," I hugged her, then took more popcorn, "You and Chad have anything fun planned for this weekend?"

"Nah, I was actually planning on hanging out with you. We haven't had much girl time lately."

"You don't need to do that just because we broke—"

"That's not why—at least not fully. I really have been wanting spend more time with you….this just prompted it."

"You're sure you don't just feel bad for me?"

"Gabriella, we're best friends. I want to support you and I want to spend time with you. Especially since we're not working together and planning for the Midsummer's Talent Show anymore."

"Yeah," I sighed, "I can't believe Sharpay was that desperate that she did that to her own brother."

"You can't? Because I can. I told you, Sharpay wants what she wants and doesn't give a crap about Ryan's ambitions or feelings. We all care about him more than she does…especially you, right?"

"What are you talking about, Taylor?" I asked, blushing. At that moment, my phone vibrated.

"Who's that?" Taylor asked with a grin.

I checked it, "It's Ryan," I replied, attempting to sound nonchalant: _Sharpay told me what happened. Not that I believe exactly how her story went down. Can we still hang out sometime? I know you don't want to be at Lava Springs, so I can pick you up for ice cream maybe? I'm really sorry this all happened._ I smiled, then quickly locked my phone to hide the text.

"What'd he want?"

"Oh, just checking in."

"Does he normally 'check in'?"

"Well, uh, he has been this past week or so…"

"Oh?"

"Well, the day of the baseball game we had a really nice conversation about where we're at, especially relating to Troy and Sharpay and, well…we found some common ground."

"Common ground?" Taylor asked.

I shrugged, "He lives in her shadow, you know. The day after the baseball game we talked about that, too." I smiled, twirling my hair around my finger, absent-mindedly thinking about all the nice conversations I have had with Ryan.

"Gabriella!"

I turned towards her, "Huh what?"

"You were in a daze for like two minutes. You okay?"

"Yeah, of course…I just…"

"What did he want?"

"He asked if we could still hang out even though I quit," I quietly replied, failing at hiding a smile.

"He's a good guy," Taylor said, putting her hand on my knee and smirking at me.

"Taylor, I broke up with Troy about two hours ago."

"Yeah and you haven't _really_ been in a relationship for the better part of the past month. Moving forward isn't a bad thing. I get that you don't want to bounce from guy to guy, but you're worth too much to hold off your own happiness out of 'respect' for Troy."

"How do you always know exactly what I'm thinking and exactly how to make me see your side of the matter?"

Taylor threw a bite of popcorn into her mouth, "Honey, I have this amazing magic power that's called being your best friend."

I giggled, "You're the best." I reopened the text and replied: _Sure, I can do any time besides Saturday evening, Taylor and I are hanging out._ "I told him that I'd like that."

"Good!" Taylor said, snatching my phone from me and reading the texts.

"Taylor!"

"He is so into you!"

"I don't know, Tay…"

"He is and you're into him. And you have my full support. Honestly, ever since the day of the baseball game I thought you guys would be adorable, but I didn't think I should say anything while you were still with basketball-head."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I did."

Ryan's POV

I was sad I would no longer see Gabriella every day, but I was also glad that she was taking care of herself and apparently still interested in having me as a friend. I groaned about how crazy everything got and when I thought things couldn't get any crazier, Chad texted me: _Did you hear what your sister did to us?_

The sight of that text made me dread what he was about to tell me: _What are you talking about?_

After a few minutes, my phone vibrated again with a picture message. I opened it and my jaw dropped. I was looking at a poster that read: No staff participation in the show will be allowed. No exceptions.

I immediately replied: _I'm going to try to fix this._

After sending that, I texted Gabriella again: _Did today's announcement about the show have anything to do with you quitting? I can't believe this happened. Chad just told me._

A few minutes later, she replied: _Wait, what did Sharpay tell you I said if it had nothing to do with the show?_

I groaned: _Uh…she told me that you came yelling at her in a jealous rage and quit because—I swear I believed none of this besides the fact that you quit—in her words "couldn't stand to work under a boyfriend stealing drama queen" She said you cussed her out too._

Her reply came quickly: _Thanks for not questioning my character. I'll explain that exchange on Friday._

I sighed: _Alright. I hope I didn't just make your day worse; I saw you and Troy and accidentally overheard some of what you were saying._

I tapped my fingers quickly as I waited for her response: _It's cool; I'm just glad that I'm out of that mess of a relationship. I feel a lot more free now that I don't have to worry about whether or not Troy is going to be here for me tomorrow._

I took in a sharp breath. I didn't know how to respond to that, I just quickly replied: _That's good. See you Friday._ After that, I stormed to Sharpay's room and knocked on the door. After a few minutes, she opened it, "I'm in the middle of my nightly routine!"

"What is this?" I asked, holding up my phone with the picture of the staff notice.

"Looks like Fulton made a change to the plans," Sharpay replied, nonchalantly.

"Don't lie to me, Sharpay, I'm not stupid. I know you did this."

"Why do you care?"

"Why do I care? Sharpay, they're my friends! I was in this with them? Did you even stop to consider that this affected anyone besides Gabriella?"

"What is with you, Ryan? Why are you all the sudden so interested in Gabriella?"

I slammed my fist into the wall, "Because she's my friend, Sharpay, not that I would expect you to understand that!"

She gasped, "How dare you care more about her than me? I'm your sister!"

"Well, you didn't seem to care that I'm your brother when you ditched me for Troy…" With that, I went back to my room, leaving Sharpay gaping at me.

The next day, I arrived at Lava Springs, determined to convince Fulton to let my friends perform. I knocked on the door to his office, "Oh Ryan, I was afraid you'd be visiting me…I'm sorry, I can't get between your sibling squabbles, so don't even ask. Sharpay gave me instruction, I cannot go back on it. You know Sharpay will get me fired if I allow them to perform in the Midsummer's Talent Show."

"Fulton, this isn't fair! Staff participation is tradition and the year one of us gets involved with their act—"

"Mr. Evans, there is nothing I can do."

I groaned, "There has to be something you can do! Sharpay is not your only boss! In fact, she isn't your boss, my dad is. If you won't do anything about it, then I'll have him take care of this mess." With that, I stormed out of his office and went to find Chad.

I found him clocking in, "Any luck?" he asked me.

"I'm going to talk to my dad later because Fulton won't budge. I'm sorry, Chad. I should have never gone along with my sister's schemes in the past or else this probably wouldn't be happening."

"If anyone has to apologize for their actions in the past, it's us, bro, not you," Chad replied, "Everything that went down last year, even though our initial actions were to your benefit, completely disrespected your passions."

"Not to mention how awful we were to Gabriella and…well, to Gabriella," Taylor added.

"No matter who was at fault when, we just need to stick together now," I replied.

"Even if we can't perform in the show, we're all in this together. Including Gabriella," Chad added, holding his hand out in front of him. Taylor placed hers on top of his, quickly followed by rest of the East High staff members, and finally, by me. "WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!" we yelled together.

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

At that moment, Fulton came in, "What is all this yelling in the kitchen?" he demanded.

Chad was about to respond, but I interrupted, "It was my fault, Fulton. They were working hard and I came in and distracted them," I gave Chad a quick wave, "I'll just…uh, talk to you on your break."

That afternoon, I joined my dad for a game of golf. "I know you don't normally enjoy golf; what's on your mind?"

I lined up to hit the ball, "Did you hear about Fulton's decree that no junior staff can participate in the Midsummer's Talent Show?"

"Yes, I was rather confused by the sudden decision, but I didn't question it."

I pulled back and swung, "Well, it was Sharpay's idea…she doesn't want the staff from school to, uh, beat out her and Troy…and, I don't want to sound selfish or anything, because this isn't my main motivation for bringing this up, but I'm really hurt that she did that, because I'm a part of their act," I took a deep breath, "But more importantly, they're my friends and it isn't fair that just because Sharpay has Fulton wrapped around her finger they should suffer."

"I'll consider what you have to say and I will also discuss this with your sister. I'll make a decision by the end of tomorrow."

"Thanks dad…" I replied reluctantly, fearing that Sharpay would win this battle.

Gabriella's POV

On Friday afternoon, I sat on my bed staring at my open closet. I wanted to get Taylor's feedback on what to wear, but I knew she was busy at work. I sighed, then pushed myself off my bed and pulled out a couple of sun dresses. I felt my phone vibrate, so I opened the text: _Your future beau is my favorite person besides you and Chad!_ I read from Taylor.

I rolled my eyes, but was curious as to why she was so excited: _What are you talking about?_

I got a picture message with a poster that read: The previous announcement about junior staff participation in the Midsummer's Talent Show has been revoked. You are encouraged to participate. The executive team at Lava Springs would like to apologize for the confusion.

I smiled and yelled, "YES!" then I responded: _Yay! I'm so glad you guys will get to participate still! Wish I could come watch._

Taylor responded almost immediately: _It won't be the same without you, Gab. We miss you here. See you tomorrow! I can't wait to hear about your date ;)_

I groaned: _It is not a date, Taylor._ I tossed my phone onto my bed, then pulled on a yellow sundress. I smoothed it out, fixed my hair, and touched up my makeup. I looked in the mirror and sighed, then retrieved my phone from the bed to ask Taylor's opinion. I took the picture and sent it: _Is this too much for ice cream?_

A few minutes later, Taylor replied: _You look good, girl. Totally perfect for the occasion._

I smiled, then went downstairs, "Mom?"

"You look nice, Gabby. Are you ever going to tell me about this new boy?"

"That's actually what I wanted to talk about…you see…well, I really like Ryan, but…am I moving too fast? I just ended things with Troy, but if Ryan _is_ interested and asks me to be his girlfriend…I don't want to wait. I like him a lot and I think he can make me happy," I sat down on the couch, putting my face in my hands.

"I think you need to assess your motivations, Gabriella."

"What do you mean my motivations?" I asked, glancing up at her.

"Let me put it this way: why do you like Ryan?"

"Why?" I paused for a second, not to think about it, but so I wouldn't burst out with all the reasons without taking the time to breathe, "He's one of the kindest people I have ever met. And he's been there for me this past month when Troy was off gallivanting with Sharpay and the U of A basketball players. But there weren't hidden intentions about it, because I was taken and he respected that…well, I don't even know if he likes me; what I mean is, he wasn't being that guy who sweeps in and acts kindly to a girl to get her in bed or something, he's genuine." I smiled before continuing, "He also is very funny and he's passionate about everything he does. He has so much talent and, while he embraces it 100%, he's so humble about it. I don't feel like I have to meet up to any pre-set expectations when it comes to Ryan, I can just be me and he accepts me as a friend."

"Well, Gabriella, I think you are perfectly fine to get into a relationship with this young man if he desires it."

"You do?"

My mom sat down next to me and put her arm around my shoulders, "I do because you want Ryan for who he is and how he acts. This isn't a revenge scheme or a way to make Troy jealous. You want to date Ryan because you like Ryan and he has proven himself to be a good friend. That, Gabriella, is the start to many wonderful relationships."

"You've been planning that speech, haven't you?" I asked with a knowing smile.

"I had an inkling it was necessary," she replied with a wink.

At that moment there was a knock on the door, "Could you get that? I left my shoes and purse upstairs." And with that, I dashed upstairs. A couple minutes later, I came downstairs to see my mom and Ryan engaging in conversation. They were both laughing, which brought a smile to my face. "Hi Ryan."

He looked toward me, just realizing I was there, "Oh, hey Gabriella." Once I was next to him, he lowered his voice to a whisper and said, "You look beautiful."

I bit my bottom lip and blushed, "Thanks."

"Have fun, you two. It was very nice to meet you, Ryan."

"You too, Mrs. Montez." He then took my hand in his and led me to his car. His car was a white mustang convertible.

"Wow."

He smiled at me as he opened the door for me, "What is it?"

"I, um, I've never been in a convertible before," I replied, embarrassed by how obvious my awe at his car was.

"Oh, it's nothing that special. I mean, it's nice and all, but it's kind of weird that they make you pay so much more money for less metal, you know? And on the highway the wind makes conversation impossible," he replied with an awkward chuckle, then added, "Sorry, that was kind of rude, wasn't it?"

"Huh?" I asked, then realized that he was referring to the money comment, "Oh, no. That didn't even really register. I knew what you meant, Ryan," I said with a smile.

He smiled, "I had a really busy day and am famished; do you mind a slight change of plans and going to dinner instead?"

"Oh, yeah, that'd be lovely," I replied, smiling. "What were you so busy with?"

"I'm guessing Taylor told you about today's announcement," he said, which I affirmed, "Before he actually made the decision, I had to sit in his office basically battling with my sister about the situation. It was ridiculous. I was convinced that she had won dad over, then all of the sudden, he told her that she was being unreasonable and called for Fulton to immediately remedy the problem."

"Oh wow, sounds…exciting."

"More like stressful, anyways, after that, I worked on some choreography and talked to Chad and Taylor some on their break," he paused, "What have you been up to since you're not working anymore?"

I sighed, "Trying to find a new job, mostly. As much as I don't want to be around Troy, I'm starting to think quitting was a bit of a rash decision…"

"I can get you your job back, if you want it," he offered.

"That's very kind, Ryan, but I can't take advantage of your friendship like that," I replied.

"It's not taking advantage if it was my idea. Seriously, Gabriella, if you want to come back, just let me know; my dad knows that Sharpay's actions were a large part of what led to you quitting. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he calls apologizing for her behavior."

"As I said before, it's not Sharpay's fault that Troy's been a jerk," I replied, "but thank you, I'll think about it." We rode in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, then I decided to give Ryan the explanation I knew he wanted, "Do you want to know what really happened between your sister and I?"

I saw a faint smile appear on his lips, "I wasn't going to ask…but I would really like to know. The curiosity is killing me," he chuckled.  
"After the announcement about the talent show, I went to find her and told her that I couldn't believe what she was doing to you by not allowing us to be in the show because you worked so hard on it…" I trailed off blushing, but shook it off and continued, "Then she said you'd find something to do and accused me of 'interfering with Troy's future.'"

"Wait, _you're_ interfering with his future?" he asked in shock.

"Apparently, by 'almost getting him fired,' even though most of those instances were his idea," I rolled my eyes, "Anyway, she went off about how she was helping him so much and I told her that I didn't care about that, because it is between her and Troy, but what I'm not okay with is her messing with my friends."

"Wow, you really stood up to her, what'd she say?"

"She accused me of being jealous that she 'won.'"

"Won?" he questioned.

"I told her that I'm not interested in the game she's playing and that's when I quit. Then Troy came, I broke up with him, and left."

"Wow, I'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself. It is _not_ easy to stand up to Sharpay."

"I bet you know that better than anyone," I replied.

"Perhaps," he said, "but either way, it sucks to tell off Sharpay and it's really great that you did."

I blushed again, "Thanks Ryan." He pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant and I gasped, "Ryan, this is the most expensive restaurant in Albuquerque!"

"Hey, I wanted to treat you to something special," he replied with a smile.

I smiled back, "Oh," was all I could find to say.

Ryan's POV 

I opened the car door for Gabriella, then took her hand, "Seriously, don't worry about it, Gabby," I said, 'Gabby' coming out so naturally, it took me a second to process that I had used that nickname for the first time out loud. Upon realizing it, I mentally kicked myself.

"Gabby?" she whispered.

"Uh, sorry, I guess I probably should have asked if it's alright—"

Gabriella interrupted me, "No, it's fine. My mom calls me Gabby. Not many people do; it's special I guess…" she paused for a second, "But you've definitely earned the right to call me Gabby."

I wondered how I had earned such a right, "Oh?"

"I-I just mean," she stuttered, "you've been here for me. You've proven that you're a great friend and…well, you've earned it," she replied. I noticed a light flush upon her cheeks.

I smiled at her, "I'm just glad to be here for you. Everyone deserves to have someone stick by their side in the bad times and you, Gabriella, deserve it more than most."

Our conversation was much less heavy from that point forward. Throughout dinner, we joked around and laughed. Eventually, we got around to telling childhood stories. "The year after my dad left, my mom was trying to figure out how to do the whole 'Santa Claus thing' for me," she paused, letting out an amused sigh, "she put so much effort into it. Looking back I feel kind of bad…because I had figured out the year before that Santa wasn't real, I just never bothered to mention it. I always slept downstairs on Christmas Eve to try to see Santa, so my mom had set up my stuff to sleep downstairs, even though I hadn't mentioned it, so I just rolled with it. I woke up to my mom struggling to walk in my dad's old Santa suit…you see, my dad was six foot three…she ended up falling onto the tree, and in worry, I yelled 'Mommy!' So instead of keeping the spirit of Christmas alive, we had to go to the ER at midnight to get my mom stitches."

"Oh wow," I replied, "how old were you?"

"Five."

"You figured out Santa wasn't real when you were five?" I asked in shock.

"No, I figured it out when I was four, remember? It was the year before," she replied chuckling.

"Oh. Wow, you make me feel really dumb then."

"How old were you?" she asked.

"Ten," I answered, sheepishly.

"Is it at least a good story?"

I chuckled, "Well, I'm not sure it's as good as that one…" I started, "My school had each grade do an annual Christmas play. The fourth grade play was called 'Santa's Party' in which I got the part of Santa."

"Of course," she quipped.

I rolled my eyes, "Anyway, I was preparing for my role as Santa and, as you can imagine, I was very excited. That was actually my first lead role; due to this I wasn't particularly confident in my acting skills. So, I asked my parents for advice one day at breakfast and Sharpay suggested I ask the guy at the mall who played Santa. I asked her what she meant by 'guy who played Santa' then she burst out laughing and told me that Santa isn't real. I was one of those kids who got really mad at my parents for lying to me about it…it was a mess." Gabriella was quietly laughing between bites. "On the day of the performance, I purposely messed up the one scene by pulling off my beard and telling everyone that Santa is a myth."

At that, Gabriella burst out laughing, "Wow, what did Sharpay have to say about you messing up your lines?"

"She made me perform the scene correctly for my parents every single night from that day until Christmas. It worked out well for her, because she was extremely angry to not get the role of Mrs. Claus, so she got to have it in our home theatre." At that Gabriella started laughing so hard that she snorted. People at surrounding tables glared at her. "Maybe we should go somewhere that we can be as loud as we want," I suggested. So at the end of our evening, we stuck to our original plan and got ice cream.

The next morning, I lay in bed smiling about the previous evening and heard a knock on my door, "Yeah?"

Sharpay came in, "What on earth were you doing with Gabriella last night?"

"Why does that matter to you?" I asked.

"Um, hello! She's the person that has been in the way of everything we've dreamed of our entire lives! She took the lead in the musical and she almost got Troy fired!"

"Two things, Shar, firstly, Troy also got the lead in the musical and you've been hanging on him all summer, secondly, it's your dream, not mine. I don't need every lead role to be validated."

"She's messed everything up this summer!"

"No, that was you, Sharpay. You really do owe a lot of people an apology, but no one more than Gabriella. I know that you've been obsessed with Troy since seventh grade, but he's clearly not interested in you, but you still went through all of this to try to get him."

"Get over it, Ryan, dad took your side! You and your stupid friends are in the show!"

"But do you realize since you drove Gabriella away from Lava Springs that Kelsi and I have had to completely redo what we're doing for the show? It wouldn't hurt to think about someone other than yourself before you go off and make rash decisions! This affected more than just you and Troy."

"I don't care about Gabriella and I'm sure you managed just fine finding something else to do."

"Well, I do!" I yelled, "and if you cared about me at all, you would stop turning Gabriella into some sort of enemy and accept that I like her!" As soon as I admitted it out loud, I regretted what Sharpay would do with that information.

"You really like her? You like her a lot?" Sharpay asked, I was surprised that her tone was gentle—surprised, but gentle.

"Yes, I do," I confirmed.

"Oh," and with that, she left.

Gabriella's POV

The day after hanging out with Ryan, I pulled on a tank top and put my hair in two braids. I was waiting for Taylor to get off work so we could go for a walk in the park. I searched my closet for a hat when my phone vibrated. The text was from a number I didn't have in my phone: _Gabriella, you need to come to the Midsummer's Talent Show tonight. My brother really likes you and I realize now that hurting you and your friends hurts my brother too and I'm sorry. If you have the feelings for my brother I think you do, please come. I can get you in._

I sat down on my bed and stared at my phone. At that moment, Taylor walked in, "You okay, Gabriella?"

"Look at this text," I told her, passing my phone over.

"Whoa…Sharpay's being….nice?"

"How do I know this isn't some kind of set up?"

Taylor gave me a stern look, "Gabriella, if it was a set up Sharpay wouldn't use the truth to get you there."

"The truth?"

"Ryan's feelings for you," she replied, "Seriously, Gabriella, they're twins, she's going to know when he likes someone."

"I don't know, Taylor…" I noticed her typing on my phone, "What are you doing?"

"Telling Sharpay you'll be there. And we aren't going to the park, we're picking your outfit for tonight!"

"Taylor, I don't know about this."

"What's stopping you?" That made me stop to think and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks: I was afraid Ryan wouldn't be happy to see me there, which I immediately realized was silly. Of course he would want me to be there; he offered to get me my job back.

"Do you think there's any chance we could go back to our original plan without letting Ryan in on it?"

Taylor squealed, "Let's do it! I'll text everyone else and let them in on it!"

"Alright. Do you need to go back to your house to get your dress for tonight?"

"It's in my car. I was planning on getting ready there after we hung out."

"Go get it; we can get ready here!" I told her excitedly.

A few hours later, I was in a white dress with a blue sash riding to Lava Springs, "Where should I go until it's time for us to go on?"

"I was texting Sharpay and she has it all figured out."

"You let Sharpay in on this?" I asked.

"Hello, we had to, she's the one getting you in. I figured she should know we're surprising Ryan. I don't know what he said to her, but she must be feeling really guilty about all of this if she's willing to help this much."

"Okay…so, everyone's okay with the sudden switch back?" I asked, nervously.

"For the hundredth time, Gabriella, everyone's thrilled about this."

When we got the Lava Springs, Sharpay was waiting for us, "Come with me." I followed her until we got to the area where the show was going to take place. "Okay, since everyone's sitting at tables, this gets a bit complicated to hide you in the midst of the crowd, so you'll have to face away from the stage. One of the stage crew guys knows where you'll be seated, so he'll put on your microphone during the act before yours."

"Why are you helping me, Sharpay?" I asked.

She shrugged, "As much as I don't really like you, I care about my brother too much to ruin his night. Once I realized how much he cares about you, I knew I couldn't live with myself if I hindered your friendship in anyway, so I decided I was going to fix it. And I talked to Fulton and told him I lied about how and why you quit, he's going to be offering your job back if you want it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I really am sorry…I'm not going to lie and say it's on your behalf, but I could learn a thing or two from Ryan about being a good person. I'll try to have a better attitude towards you, especially if you start dating my brother. I don't want to mess this up for him," she replied with a sincere smile.

"Thanks…" I said slowly.

Ryan's POV

I stood backstage waiting for our act. "Hey Ryan," I heard Kelsi say.

"What's up?"

"So, uh, are you ready?" she asked, sounding like she changed her mind about what she wanted to talk to me about.

"Yeah, I guess…" I looked away from her, "Do you think we're going to do well? We really didn't have time to master it."

"We're going to do great, Ryan. I know you want Gabriella here, we all do, but it's going to go really well; I know it," she said with a really wide grin.

"Okay…" she walked away, leaving me to think about Gabriella some more. I also took this time situate my microphone so it would stay on my face.

A few minutes later, I heard Fulton announce, "And now we have our very own Ryan Evans along with many members of our junior staff!"

I groaned and walked on stage with everybody else. Kelsi started to play…I gave her a strange look because she was playing the song we originally planned. I then turned to look at Chad, who gave me a thumb's up and lipped, 'Just go with it.'

I looked around me to see everyone prodding me to go with it and start singing. Kelsi replayed the intro, since I spent so much time gaping at everyone. I took a deep breath and began to sing. (A/N: The way I imagine this is that it's sung exactly is in the movie, except of course Ryan sings where Troy does. So, I made it a new line with a change in who/how many people were singing. I recommend either listening to the song or having the lyrics with who sings what in front of you while reading this part. Okay, continue reading.)

 **Once in a lifetime means there's no second chance. So, I believe that you and me should grab it while we can.**

Much to my shock, I heard Gabriella's beautiful voice sing the next line:

 **Make it last forever and never give it back.**

I looked out and saw her walking towards the stage, smiling at me. I was so in awe that she was there, that I almost missed my next line:

 **It's our turn and I'm loving where we're at.**

Then our voice made the most magical harmony I had ever heard:

 **Because this moment's really all we have.**

I was so overjoyed that Gabriella was singing with me, I found it hard to focus on singing, but I continued:

 **Everyday, of our lives**

 **Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight**

 **Gonna run**

I smiled before we returned to our harmony:

 **While we're young and keep the faith**

 **Everyday**

 **From right now, gonna use our voices and scream out loud**

At that moment, Gabriella _finally_ made it on stage:

 **Take my hand**

And as she sang that, she grasped onto my hand and gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen on her.

 **Together we will celebrate.**

 **Celebrate**

 **Oh, everyday!**

During the instrumental, I took Gabriella's free hand in my other hand and did a simple swing move with her before she sang the next line:

 **They say that you should follow**

 **And chase down what you dream,**

 **But if you get lost and lose yourself**

 **What does it really mean?**

 **No matter where we're going,**

 **It starts from where we are.**

 **There's more to life when we listen to our hearts.**

As she sang that line, she winked at me.

 **And because of you I've got the strength to start. Yeah, yeah, yeah! Everyday of our lives,**

 **Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight.**

 **Gonna run, while we're young and keep the faith. Everyday**

As I sang the next line, Gabriella kissed my cheek:

 **From right now, gonna use our voices and scream out loud.**

And as she sang alone, I kissed her cheek:

 **Take my hand, together we will celebrate. Oh, everyday!**

 **We're taking it back, we're doing it here, together!**

We definitely strayed from my original choreography, but I didn't care as Gabriella's hand was firmly planted in mine.

 **It's better like that and stronger now than ever!**

 **We're not gonna lose, 'cause we get to choose, that's how it's gonna be.**

 **Everyday of our lives**

 **Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight.**

I smiled as her grip on my hand tightened.

 **Gonna run, while we're young**

 **And keep the faith! Keep the faith!**

I spun her again as the rest of our friends joined in singing:

 **Everyday of our lives, wanna find you there, wanna hold you tight. Gonna run while we're young and keep the faith. Everyday from right now, gonna use our voices and scream out loud. Take my hand; together will celebrate!**

As our friends sang the rest of the song, I spun Gabriella around. I felt like we were the only ones on the stage, despite the voices around us. I continuously used the swing moves that I knew she loved.

 **Everyday! Live every day! Love everyday! Live everyday! Love everyday! Everyday! Everyday! Everyday! Everyday! Everyday! Everyday! Everyday!**

Then Gabriella took on the last line as she always did in rehearsal:

 **Everyday!**

I pulled her into a tight hug, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted to surprise you," she replied with a broad smile, "I hope it was a pleasant one."

I held her tighter, "Of course it was."

"Um, Ryan, we should probably get off stage," Gabriella said.

I heard everyone in the audience laughing, I blushed, "Oh…right." I reluctantly released her from the hug, but took her hand immediately and we walked off stage.

"I don't know about you," Gabriella said, "but I think that was the best we ever did the song."

I chuckled, "I agree." At that moment, Troy and Sharpay walked past to go on stage. Troy was glaring and Sharpay winked at me. "Uh, Gabby?"

"Yes Ryan?"

"I know you just ended things with Troy and all, but…uh…I really like you. I like you a lot, and was wondering if, uh…" She squeezed my hand. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She smiled, "Yes, I will absolutely be your girlfriend!"

I hugged her again, "I certainly didn't see this summer going this way."

Gabriella giggled, "Neither did I, but all of the pain that occurred at the beginning of the summer is completely worth where we are now."

"I agree. So, would you like to go on a proper date tonight?"

"I would love to," Gabriella hugged me again. And at that moment, everything seemed perfect because I finally admitted my feelings to Gabriella and she reciprocated them. It's amazing what my sister's drama can lead to. Maybe I ought to thank her someday.


End file.
